The original Evil Dead exists as a cult classic that helped foster the careers of Director Sam Raimi (who went on to give us Spider-Man) and star Bruce Campbell (who has transitioned into somewhat of a cult hero in his own right) but it’s also a movie so specific to that troupe it’d be hard to imagine it in any other form. Of course, that didn’t stop an Evil Dead remake from getting off the ground – despite numerous bashings from loyal Raimi and Campbell fans around the world.

However, it’s a unique situation for this Evil Dead remake in that Raimi and Campbell have given their stamp of approval to the project, and have even gone the extra mile and assumed roles as producers on the film.

Bruce Campbell sat down with Digital Spy to discuss the remake – talking about everything from an Ash cameo to key differences between this 2013 version and the original.

Most importantly, Campbell wanted to stress that Evil Dead (2013) is a completely different film, almost a reboot if you will. This particular narrative follows “five new kids who are going to have a really bad night.” That means no young nubile actor will be assuming the role of Ash, leaving room for Campbell to make a cameo. In the interview Campbell remained cagey about an appearance by Ash, and wouldn’t directly connect this 2013 film with his breakout vehicle.

“I’m not at liberty to discuss that. But the thing is we want it to be a standalone movie. You’re going to have some references [to the original] in there and there’s going to be things the fans will enjoy as far as familiar aspects, but it’s a whole new ball game.”

As far as the in-production film is concerned, Campbell says he’s seen it and it’s “fabulous.” Part of that glowing endorsement comes from the improved visuals and special effects in the movie, certainly a byproduct of working in today’s technological era. Director Fede Alvarez, working off a script that was revised by Diablo Cody, has access to so much more than Raimi did at the time that he potentially could craft a more believable, and truly frightful, movie.

“The nice thing is the film looks beautiful. The effects are 10 times better than we ever had access to and the actors are all better than we were in 1979. Though granted Sam Raimi is a mad genius, so we got a crazy result like Evil Dead out of this amateur enthusiasm sort of thing.”

Part of the appeal of Raimi’s films, like Evil Dead, and more recently Drag Me To Hell, has been their use of practical effects, so we still hope that too much emphasis isn’t placed on CGI.

A lot of Campbell’s endorsement, and explanations of the direction the film is headed, focus on the quality of the filmmaking and not necessarily on the story’s appeal or the characters. It’s not a reason to boycott the movie just yet, but Evil Dead remake skeptics aren’t likely to be won over by Campbell’s opinion. Diablo Cody’s claim that the film is “unbelievably violent” does suggest the film is on the right track though.

Evil Dead fans might struggle to find connections between the two films, but the presence of Raimi and Campbell as producers should alleviate some of that concern. Still, this is Evil Dead for a young adult audience, not the 1979 classic that eventually gave us a chainsaw-wielding protagonist.